Search...
Could climate change cause an increase in the incidence of parasitic worms making their way into people’s eyes? A 2014 case series published in the Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology suggests it’s a possibility. Dirofilaria repens is a parasitic worm endemic in Mediterranean countries. It mostly affects animals. Though rare, it can be transmitted to humans by mosquito bites. The 10.5-mm-long wriggling worm in this video was removed from the subconjunctival space with forceps and under anesthesia. The 2014 series included 8 cases, 5 of which were subconjunctival (1 masquerading as nodular scleritis) and were removed through a conjunctival incision, 2 cases were intravitreal and were removed with vitrectomy, and 1 was intraorbital (adjacent to the roof of the orbit). The 2014 study reviewed charts of all patients with ocular dirofilariasis after the year 2000, treated at a tertiary referral center in Greece. “Eight cases were recorded after the year 2000, 7 appeared within the last 6 years (4 cases within the last 3 years). The majority of cases involved residents of the Ionian Islands (7 of 8 cases).” Video credit goes to Anitha Venugopal, MBBS, MS.
By aaoeye
Published
From the Health Care Hub community. Empowering medical learners with innovative insights for healthcare advancement.
Posted in Ophthalmologists 👁️. Explore innovative insights and empower medical learners for healthcare advancements.
5 views
0 likes